South Carolina lawmakers grill CEO over failed Summer nuclear plant

REGULATION: Advocates want North Carolina lawmakers to confirm two appointments to the state utilities commission this week before it considers Duke Energy’s bid to hike residential electric bills 16.7 percent. (Southeast Energy News)

NUCLEAR:
• South Carolina lawmakers questioned Santee Cooper’s CEO on Tuesday about whether the now-failed Summer nuclear project should have been abandoned long ago, though the official said he pushed for better oversight of the project. (Post and Courier, Associated Press)
• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has launched a special inspection of the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Alabama following a valve failure. (Times Daily)
• Federal regulators are addressing an Entergy subsidiary’s proposed return on equity for nuclear power sales to four other company affiliates, after utility commissions in Arkansas and Mississippi asked FERC to open an investigation. (RTO Insider)

PIPELINES:
• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorized the conversion of a Kentucky pipeline from carrying natural gas to natural gas liquids, despite concerns that the 70-year-old pipeline is hazardous. (Lexington Herald Leader)
• Following a court order to consider downstream emissions in its environmental reviews of pipelines, FERC has concluded a group of pipeline projects could boost Florida’s greenhouse gas emissions between 3.7 and 9.7 percent. (Utility Dive)
• The Virginia DEQ will make its recommendations in December about water quality permits needed for the proposed Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines. (Associated Press)

COAL:
• President Trump’s nominee to head the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration may face questions at today’s confirmation hearing about the safety records of West Virginia mines where he worked as a top executive. (Charleston Mail-Gazette)
• Four West Virginia lawmakers support new federal legislation to fund pensions for tens of thousands of coal miners. (Associated Press)

OVERSIGHT: Travel documents show EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has met far more often with officials at companies the agency is meant to regulate, including the fossil fuel industry, compared to advocates. (New York Times)

SOLAR: A city in Georgia is looking at how solar energy can be utilized in low- and moderate-income communities. (Marketplace)

POLICY:
• Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s proposal to redefine how coal and nuclear power plants are compensated for the electricity they provide to the power grid is uniting fossil-fuel and renewable-energy advocates against him. (Washington Post)• A variety of experts say there is no evidence that the U.S. grid’s reliability is in jeopardy based on coal and nuclear retirements, despite the Department of Energy’s claims. (E&E News)